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Archive for the ‘space travel’ category: Page 314

Mar 23, 2020

Final NASA Seats on Soyuz in 2020

Posted by in categories: government, space, space travel

By Bill D’Zio

Chart prepared by WestEastSpace.com of Seat cost over time for Soyuz purchased seats.
*Notes *1 In February 2017, NASA purchased from Boeing two Soyuz seats and then later three additional seats for $373.5 million or $74.7 million per seat. Boeing had the rights to sell the seats as a result of a settlement with RSC Energia—the Russian company that builds the Soyuz for Roscosmos—due to a failed partnership to develop the capability to launch rockets from an off-shore platform in the ocean.
2 2017 NASA contract for 12 additional seats
3 Due to slippage in the commercial crew schedule, in March 2018 NASA purchased two additional Soyuz seats for $86 million each, one for the September 2019 Soyuz flight and another on the upcoming April 2020 mission.
4 One Soyuz launch failed during launch requiring an abort prior to reaching orbit. Data Source: NASA Office of Inspector General analysis of Soyuz cost data provided by NASA

Soyuz creeping up in cost

NASA has been dependent on Russia for transport to and from the ISS. Over time the cost of seats on the Soyuz crew vehicle have risen.

The Roscosmos’s Soyuz vehicle has been ferrying crew to the International Space Station since November 2000. Originally Soyuz was designed to carry cosmonauts to the Moon, however was repurposed to be the main transport vehicle for Russia over the years. The Soyuz spacecraft is capable of carrying three crewmembers at a time and is certified to remain docked with the ISS for a maximum of 200 days and is launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch site.

Until the NASA Commercial Crew Program (CCP) is completed, Roscosmos remains the sole option for transporting astronauts to and from the ISS. At all times, at least one of the Soyuz spacecraft is docked at the International Space Station serving as an emergency lifeboat or escape pot should evacuation be needed. Typically two Soyuz capsules are docked at the ISS which allows up to six astronauts to remain on the International Space Station. The limit of six astronauts is established by the number of seats available for evacuation.

Read the rest of the article.

Mar 22, 2020

Elon Musk: Should Have 1000 Ventilators Next Week, + 250,000 N95 Masks For Hospitals Tomorrow Exclusive

Posted by in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical, Elon Musk, ethics, health, policy, space travel, sustainability

Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, an American oncologist and bioethicist who is senior fellow at the Center for American Progress as well as Vice Provost for Global Initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania and chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, said on MSNBC on Friday, March 20, that Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk told him it would probably take 8–10 weeks to get ventilator production started at his factories (he’s working on this at Tesla and SpaceX).

Continue reading “Elon Musk: Should Have 1000 Ventilators Next Week, + 250,000 N95 Masks For Hospitals Tomorrow Exclusive” »

Mar 21, 2020

NASA Engineer Claims ‘Helical Engine’ Concept Could Reach 99% The Speed of Light

Posted by in category: space travel

O.o yayyyyyyyyyyyyy.


When it comes to space, there’s a problem with our human drive to go all the places and see all the things. A big problem. It’s, well, space. It’s way too big. Even travelling at the maximum speed the Universe allows, it would take us years to reach our nearest neighbouring star.

But another human drive is finding solutions to big problems. And that’s what NASA engineer David Burns has been doing in his spare time. He’s produced an engine concept that, he says, could theoretically accelerate to 99 percent of the speed of light — all without using propellant.

Continue reading “NASA Engineer Claims ‘Helical Engine’ Concept Could Reach 99% The Speed of Light” »

Mar 21, 2020

Helmholtz decomposition

Posted by in categories: physics, space travel

Essentially this can lead to euclidean geometry in programming essentially allowing near infinite decompression either in programming or in devices or even spaceships.


In physics and mathematics, in the area of vector calculus, Helmholtz’s theorem,[1][2] also known as the fundamental theorem of vector calculus,[3][4][5][6][7][8][9] states that any sufficiently smooth, rapidly decaying vector field in three dimensions can be resolved into the sum of an irrotational (curl-free) vector field and a solenoidal (divergence-free) vector field; this is known as the Helmholtz decomposition or Helmholtz representation. It is named after Hermann von Helmholtz.[10]

As an irrotational vector field has a scalar potential and a solenoidal vector field has a vector potential, the Helmholtz decomposition states that a vector field (satisfying appropriate smoothness and decay conditions) can be decomposed as the sum of the form − ∇ ϕ + ∇ × A {\displaystyle -\nabla \phi +\nabla \times \mathbf {A} }, where ϕ {\displaystyle \phi } is a scalar field called “scalar potential”, and A is a vector field, called a vector potential.

Mar 18, 2020

‘Spaceship Earth’ Documentary Tells the Story of Biosphere 2

Posted by in categories: biological, education, space travel

This man lived inside a self-sustaining glass biosphere for 2 whole years to test drive what life would be like for humans on Mars via NowThis.

Mar 12, 2020

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk explains why we need a ‘whole new architecture’ for space travel

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, space travel

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says humanity needs a “whole new architecture” to fly in space beyond low Earth orbit.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk explains why we need a ‘whole new architecture’ for space travel :

Mar 12, 2020

China’s Mars mission likely still on track for July launch despite coronavirus outbreak

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, space travel

Despite the lack of official comment on the mission, China’s first expedition to Mars appears to be on track.

Mar 12, 2020

Blue Origin reveals shiny new mission control room for future New Glenn rocket

Posted by in category: space travel

In a new video, aerospace company Blue Origin reveals its finished mission control center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, where engineers will monitor upcoming launches of the company’s future New Glenn rocket. The rocket is expected to fly sometime in 2021.

Mar 11, 2020

Elon Musk Worries SpaceX Won’t Get to Mars Before He Dies

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, space travel

He also mentions the large sum of cash he can make from Starlink.


(Bloomberg) — An exhausted-looking Elon Musk said Monday he’s unsure his rocket company SpaceX will accomplish its foundational mission — getting to Mars — before he dies.

Mar 10, 2020

SpaceX’s latest Starship prototype passes big tank pressure test

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, space travel

SpaceX’s newest prototype of its Starship Mars-colonizing vehicle just passed a crucial pressure test, potentially paving the way for more ambitious trials in the near future.

Starship version SN2 survived a cryogenic pressure test late Sunday (March 8) at SpaceX’s South Texas facilities, company founder and CEO Elon Musk said. You can see a video timelapse of the test from Starship watcher Mary BocaChicaGal here for NASASpaceflight.com.